Article: Ram CEO: Slate Vehicles Won't Be So Cheap Once Buyers Get Done Optioning Them Up

[sodamo]

I think you guys are forgetting something. A pickup truck has not just a window, but an entire wall behind the seats that adds structural support to the vehicle. Sure, maybe they move the entire back wall to the back on the SUV, (but then what do you do with the tail gate?) but removing that back wall reduces the structural stability of the vehicle.

I wish I could find the video where this was talked about, but that's one of the purposes of the roll cage.

And that is why the SUV with seat requires the Rollbar.
no seat, no rollbar, leave lower panel in place

 

[AZFox]

"Pickup with a topper" is a great idea, by the way.

That would be accomplished with a three-walled shell that leaves the cab's rear facia in place.

The Slate, being a unitary CUV a.k.a. a ute, has an inherent advantage because a body-on-frame truck's cab and detached bed move separately.

 

[inline_five]

I own an XLT Maverick I bought in 2023. I hacked it to add radar cruise control and lane centering (only available on high end models if you get it from Ford), ambient lighting, a leather steering wheel, etc. I removed all the chimes with Forscan and government seatbelt reminders that remained too long on the screen.

I absolutely love hacking it and making it fit my needs. It was so cheap I didn't mind hacking into a new vehicle to do so.

I dig the Slate for this reason and appreciate many of the bare bones things about it. But I think they are making a mistake cutting so much. Electric windows can't cost that much to put in from the factory for example, maybe $100-$150? But will be a PITA to engineer, manufacture, stock, ship, and install afterwards.

 

[danielt1263]

Electric windows can't cost that much to put in from the factory for example, maybe $100-$150? But will be a PITA to engineer, manufacture, stock, ship, and install afterwards.

Especially since the story I heard about this one is that there is only a single source for the manual window mechanism, almost nobody makes them anymore.
It's also my understanding that they wanted to go with drum breaks but they couldn't find a source at all for them.

 

[GaRailroader]

Especially since the story I heard about this one is that there is only a single source for the manual window mechanism, almost nobody makes them anymore.
It's also my understanding that they wanted to go with drum breaks but they couldn't find a source at all for them.

What I like about manual windows is the longevity. I’ve owned 3 cars with manual windows and have never had to replace a manual window regulator. I have replaced many power window regulators over the years and have always questioned whether the convenience of power windows is worth the aggravation of having to do that repair.

 

[GaRailroader]

"Pickup with a topper" is a great idea, by the way.

That would be accomplished with a three-walled shell that leaves the cab's rear facia in place.

The Slate, being a unitary CUV a.k.a. a ute, has an inherent advantage because a body-on-frame truck's cab and detached bed move separately.

I suspect that the current toppers attach and seal to the cab by using the same sealing surfaces and attachment points that the fascia uses. If you do a 3 walled then you will have to engineer a seal to the cab. I like the idea of leaving the bulkhead in place and moving the rear fascia to the rear of the topper. This way if you wanted to camp in the truck the HVAC and sound system are available to the whole truck interior and not a 2 room situation where the tunes and HVAC are in the cab and the nothing under the topper.

 

[sodamo]

Not great detail in the available pics, but to me it appears the rear window portion moves to rear of the square back version and that frame work replaced by the topper. Unclear what happens to the lower panel, ideally optional to leave in place or remove. If removed I’d have to find another barrier to keep the dogs from challenging wife for the seat.

 

[Shay]

I'm late to this conversation, but this CEO is a person who sells a RAM that starts at $40,000 but most really cost $60-70,000 which makes him a bit of a hypocrite. Secondly, this is also a manufacturer who has made all the wrong moves in their product planning which is why they are nearly extinct at the moment. They made exactly the wrong EV cars in the new Charger. Any idiot could tell you that their young male Charger/Challenger buyer demographic was never going to buy an $80k EV muscle car, even if they could afford it. Now they are backsliding and cranking up the old HEMI V8 in their trucks to keep bankruptcy pushed off another year or two. If it was not for the Jeep brand paying the light bill, Stellantis would be gone. So I really don't put a lot of weight into what this bozo is saying to try and throw shade on a company who is actually trying something different than his.